Trifecta
by Makkenji
Summary: AU. When Aomine takes up a job working at the stables, the labor turns out to be the least burdensome of his experience. The toughest part was meeting the jockeys. "What a handful these guys are gonna be." M for language and sexual themes.


**A/N: So I decided as I started this story I was going to make it into a multi-chapter, which, I'm crossing my fingers for you guys. This was originally just going to be a one-shot but then I thought of all the things I could do with it and now, here it es lol. I should also explain some things for this too, because even I had to research certain information, so unless you're an expert on horses, I'll enlighten you on these things I know nothing about.**

**First off, when I say 'groom,' I'm not saying the guys getting married. I mean a stable boy: a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. And, probably most of you know this, but if you don't, a jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing. When I say Dandy brush, I don't mean that it's such an amazing brush, it's just a type of grooming tool (and a hoofpick is used to clean out their hooves). When I say the horse 'nickered' that's when a horse makes a low, rumbling sound in their throat, almost like a big exhale through their nose too. And **_**Senshu**_** is the honorific tagged on to an athlete's name. I'll be doing this for each chapter if I see anything that might be unfamiliar, and I'm no horseman either so if you see any information throughout this fanfic that is incorrect, just tell me and I'll fix it. Also, at the end of each chapter that I introduce each characters type of horse, I'll tell you why I picked that horse for them if I have a reason.**

**Now let's play, the 'Just Go With It' gaaaaaame~. Okay, so I know jockeys are suppose to be small, short, and under a certain weight limit, however, please just go with it when I say that characters, who are obviously tall, are jockeys for the sake of the story lol**

**That should be all for now, sorry for muh rambling! I look forward to where this ends up going, because for the first time I actually have a PLAN (kinda) lol I'll be taking this slow and actually developing the relationship instead of rushing into it (which means right now Aomine's calling him Kuroko for a very short time, so don't sue me, I love the nickname Tetsu too!). However, I think I'll be writing the one-shot I was planning on the side eventually, and it will be a bit different, just with the same theme. I'm really excited for this though, so I hope all you guys will be too! Lastly, this will be rated M for sexual themes, language, and all that good stuff.**

**I'd like to dedicate this to Akashi, the true horse rider. Enjoy~.**

* * *

The muffled sound of hooves at stepping pace could be heard from inside the stable.

It seemed the small jockey was practicing late again, which in a normal situation would be bothersome for the groom, seeing as how he couldn't leave until everyone was gone. The tanned teen admitted he actually enjoyed spending his time there though. Sure he'd usually rather be off somewhere sleeping, or eating at his favorite food joint, Maji Burger, but there was something about the stables that made him eager to start his job each day. It was only part time, he was still a high school student after all, but it was the one thing he took seriously and brought out a rarely seen side of him. Other than his interest in horses, he'd guess it was all that scenery and atmosphere stuff Satsuki mentioned once, his favorite horse Shadow being there, or the light-blue haired-

…Well, he just liked it was all. Of course he.. _admired_ the number 11 jockey, but that wasn't one of the reasons he practically ran here after school and on weekend mornings. No way in hell it was.

Aomine Daiki dropped the Dandy brush back into his metal bucket, fishing out a hoofpick as he squatted down next to the horse he was currently grooming. He gently slid his hand down its leg until he reached its ankle, gripping it lightly.

"Up." He ordered, but there was no response. Grumbling, the groom tried again, albeit more sternly.

"I _said_, lift up your damn hoof!"

The horse complied after a bit of nickering that caused Aomine to roll his eyes, "Of course you'd be the one to give me trouble, Tiger."

Tiger was a stubborn, fiery, light bay American Saddlebred who you could clearly tell was the number 10 jockey, Kagami Taiga's (Tiger. Taiga. How original.), a guy who honestly, Aomine didn't like all that much. He didn't know exactly what it was about the red head that made him grind his teeth whenever he came around (other than being obnoxiously intense and boisterous), but he just did. Not that he would take out his dislike of the jockey on the horse or anything; In fact, he should probably give it special treatment since it had to put up with such an owner. They were so alike though, it was weird he could have such a problem with the guy when the horse didn't bother him one bit. Hell, even the color of their hair was the same – Tiger having a reddish hue coat and a black mane.

But really, out of all of the jockeys that used this stable, he couldn't say Kagami was the one who bothered him the most, annoying as he was. That'd have to be the condescending asshole Midorima Shintaro, or maybe the self-proclaimed god Akashi Seijuro. Damn, and if Murasakibara left one more crumb lying around. And why the hell does Kise find the need to hang on him while he's trying to clean up, all the while _sparkling_ like that?

Shit, what a bunch of idiots he was working with. The only one who didn't want to make him pull his hair out in fact was-

"Ghe! Now what's your problem?" Aomine asked after being shaken out of his thoughts by a particularly loud neigh from the Saddlebred. The horse only retorted with another nicker.

"Yeah, yeah, hi to you too, now shut it."

Suddenly a chuckle was heard from behind him, "That's no way to talk to a horse, Aomine-kun."

The tanned teen spun around to see a mop of light-blue hair atop a usually expressionless face, which now held amusement in a pair of equally blue eyes. The jockey had apparently just finished his practice and was now toting his black American Quarter-Horse, Shadow, beside him.

"Che. It is for this one. Stubborn brute…" As if understanding what he'd said, Tiger gave a snort in his direction, flicking his tail back and forth, "Yeah I'm talking about you!" He then proceeded to pull down his lower eyelid and stick out his tongue, accompanied by a "beeda~."

"The level of your maturity always astounds me, Aomine-kun." The shorter bluenette shook his head, but nonetheless had a small, barely detectable smile on his face.

"Well, he started it…" Aomine grumbled, only further supporting the jockey's statement. His eyes then trailed over to Shadow, bringing a smirk to his face, "Hey Shadow, this chibi wasn't working you too hard today, right?"

"I am not a chibi…" The smaller boy said, the tone of his voice turning indignant.

"Whatever you say, Chibi-senshu," The groom said amusedly, turning back to set the Saddlebred's hoof down and put away his tools.

"Aomine-kun, please stop that." The jockey sighed as he turned to stroke the nose of his Quarter-Horse.

"Ha, don't count on it." The taller teen taunted. After giving Tiger a pat and muttering a 'See yah tomorrow, Baka,' he continued toward the pen's gate, stepping out and securing it behind him, "Here, I'll take Shadow from you and get him groomed up," he offered, holding out his hand out for the horse's reigns.

"Mm…no, its fine. I'll take the liberty of grooming him tonight. You can go home now, thank you for all you're hard work today. I appreciate it very much." The jockey bowed.

"Ah, y-you're sure?" Aomine stuttered, taken aback at the unexpected praise, "I mean, it's no trouble at all."

The bluenette's face then looked toward his horse, the corners of his mouth upturning imperceptibly, "Of course. I actually enjoy it quite a bit."

The groom felt heat rise to his cheeks at the sight – the jockey's eyes were filled with pure adoration, and that smile…

He cleared his throat, "W-well, I guess I'll be leaving then. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Ah, it is Friday isn't it? Then yes, tomorrow morning it is. By the way, due to an appointment Akashi-kun must attend, we are all coming a bit later than usual to start training. So, if you'd like to come later as well, we'll be arriving around noon."

Aomine nodded, "Right, I'll keep that in mind. See yah."

"Goodbye, Aomine-kun."

He gave a short wave and watched as Shadow was pulled toward its pen, the back of the jockey's jacket sporting his name for all to see.

_Kuroko Tetsuya. Number 11._

* * *

Aomine groaned as he plopped down on his bed, only having managed to slip on boxers after his shower. Man, he was tired. He blamed it on school, because his job definitely wasn't the reason he nearly passed out every night. They needed to have more time for him to slip away and take a nap on the roof. No, maybe it wasn't even that. It was Satsuki that made it impossible for him to skip his classes. Who the hell really needed to know how imaginary numbers worked anyway? They were fucking imaginary! Plus, even if he did attend his Chemistry class, it's not like he'd understand any of it. And damn, he didn't even want to start on History. It was all just a huge waste of time. No, more like just something that got in the way of his sleep and being able to head to the stables. Hell, they didn't even let him bring his Gravure magazines with him.

He found the whole situation rather funny though. Who would've thought that he of all people would have a soft spot for horses? It sounded so girly. Like, hanging horse posters on the wall, or playing those horse games for the DS, or wanting a pony for Christmas.

He shivered at the thought, _No way in hell. It's not like that at all._

There was nothing wrong with having a job at a stable, but he'd be lying if he said he wanted everyone to know he got all fascinated by horses. He knew he shouldn't give a damn what others thought, because he usually didn't, but this had to do with his manly pride.

He didn't even have a cowboy persona to back it up though. He wondered how he'd look in western clothes?

_Like an idiot._

Shit, he was thinking way too much into this. He worked at a stable. He liked horses. Fuck everyone else. That's it. That's how it should be.

…but at least the guys at the stable had sports as a reason. He just cleaned up and talked to Shadow.

He could clearly remember how he started looking at the huge creatures as something to admire. Probably the day Satsuki dragged him out to the countryside during summer vacation? There were horses everywhere in that town. Like, they were the main transportation. At the time, all he could do was complain she brought them to the 'middle of nowhere to shop in a red neck town that probably didn't even have electricity.' Then she claimed he had no sense of cultural appreciation or some other stupid sounding thing. He found out later though they were actually there for small horse racing event. When did she get into horse racing?

You didn't bet or anything like that for this one, and it was only between maybe 2 or 3 volunteers at a time (because apparently almost everyone in this town owned a horse); just some recreational event they did each month. He told Satsuki he wasn't watching unless she bought him some popcorn or whatever snack they were selling there, so she gave in after a lecture on mooching off others, and they went to find their seats (which were just some dusty bleachers).

Once the horses took off, Aomine was totally entranced. He'd seen horses running in those movies Satsuki made him watch, but never right in front of him. They were just so…graceful and powerful. The way they looked so free spirited, even while being loyal to their owner's commands. He'd never felt so drawn to something that wasn't big boobs or one of his Gravure idols. He was just so… unexplainably and oddly captivated by them. He hadn't even noticed when his pink-haired friend looked over at him and started giggling.

"_Like the horses do we, Dai-chan?" She raised, her eyes gleaming._

"_Can it, Satsuki. That's not it at all. I was just curious to see who was gonna win this one. It was close that time; you know how I am about sports."Aomine looked away, crossing his arms in defense._

"_That was some look you had for just sport outcomes…besides! I could've told you right from the beginning who was going to win." His childhood friend retorted smugly._

"_Right, right. 'Woman's intuition' and all that." Aomine rolled his eyes, "You know, sometimes it's funner if you _don't_ know the outcome until it happens?"_

"_You mean, 'more fun,' Dai-chan!"_

"_Yeah, that's what I said. So stop trying to spoil it."_

"_No! I mean, 'funner' isn't a word! Ugh, this is why I tell you not to skip your classes, Baka!"_

Aomine shook his head, ending the flashback. He didn't need to relive another one of her lectures about proper grammar. Who cares how you talked if you got the point across? Anyways, after that, as they were leaving the town, the horses he saw became way more interesting to him. The way they moved, the different ways they were built, and all the different colors of their coats; he'd even thought of buying one why they were-

"_Dai-chan you can't afford a horse! You don't even have a job! And where would you even keep it?"_

"_Dammit Satsuki that's my ear! And I wasn't even thinking that!"_

"_I saw you staring at that sign! I don't see why you even try to lie to me, you should know by now that never works, Horse Lover-chan." She snapped, sticking her nose in the air._

"_Wh-! What the hell did you just call me!?"Aomine stopped abruptly, staring at her in disbelief, "I don't! I am not one of those horse-crazed rednecks, don't even try and lump me in with those people."_

"_Please~ Dai-chan, I've seen you making googly eyes at these horses since we left that race. You know, I think we've found your calling! A cowboy! Aw~, you'd look so adorable in a cowboy hat and boots! We'll even buy you one of those dogs to sit out on your porch, and we'll get you a lasso, and a couple of cows for-"_

_Aomine was staggered, he had no idea what the hell was coming out of his friend's mouth. Where does she come up with this shit!? After hearing something about a ranch house and marrying a farmer's daughter he'd had enough._

"_That's it. I'm outta here." He continued walking, intent on ignoring whatever the pink-haired girl had to say from this point on to _ever_._

"_Wh-? Where do you think you're going!?I haven't even gotten to buy a souvenir! Ergh! Dai-chan you have no sense of chivalry at all! You'd never be a good cowboy! And there's no way the farmer's daughter would marry YOU!"_

He rolled his eyes at the memory. That had been about 6 months ago. He spent 5 of those months shamefully asking Satsuki to take him to more horse races, and he even bet in a few. He'd gotten in the money a couple of times, but they were only small events so it wasn't too much to brag over. Satsuki kept him in line with the gambling, never letting him bet in big races, or go broke; it was the one time he felt grateful for her 'rules.' Then, about a month ago he saw a job available that was asking for a groom. At first he was confused because he had no idea what that meant and had joked to Satsuki about how desperate women were getting these days. She ended up hitting him and explaining how it was another word for stable boy. All the sudden she'd stopped and her eyes lit up.

"_Dai-chan! That's perfect for you! You should take it! Since you love horses, this would be a great opportunity for you to get to see them! A real stable where you'd take care of them! Do it do it do it!"_

So, obviously, he did. Not just because of how annoying Satsuki can be when she wants something, but he honestly did want that job. To get paid for something you'd like doing? Hell, who _wouldn't_ want that? And so, his last couple of weeks had been filled with meeting the jockeys, learning the ways of a stable boy, and understanding 'horse language.' According to the head manager Aida (well, really, Akashi was in charge), he caught on pretty fast, asking if he had an 'infinity for horses,' in to which he just replied, 'I guess their alright.'

Out of all of that though, the toughest part was meeting the jockeys.

Ho-o-ly shit. If he'd ever met a group of weirdo's, they were it. Maybe if they'd let him warm up to their personalities it might (_might_) have been okay. But, no, they threw it at him. It was each of their first impressions that did it. The greetings were as follows:

Akashi: _"So you're the new help? It's nice to meet you. Just remember to know your place and never disobey me, then we'll be fine."_

Kise: _"Oh wow! A new groom? It's nice to meet you, Aominecchi! My names Kise Ryouta, the model? You can have my autograph later. Wanna meet my horse? ;)"_

"_Kise!"_

"_Wh-? No! Not like that!"_

Midorima: _"My horoscope says that Virgos are unlucky today so please keep a decent distance between us for the time being."_

"_Midormacchi that's cruel!"_

"_You too, Kise."_

"_I'm bad luck today, too?"_

"_No, just stay away from me."_

Murasakibara: _"Mmphf."_

"_Atsushi, do not speak with your mouth full."_

Kuroko: …

"_Um…who?"_

"_I'm right here."_

"_Ghe! When did you-!?"_

"_I've been here the whole time."_

Kagami: _"Hey! Nice to meet you. I'm Kagami Taiga. Wanna race?"_

"_Kagami he's never even rode a horse before!"_

"_So? He'll learn as we go!"_

Aomine sighed, rolling over and closing his eyes.

.

_What a handful these guys are gonna be._

* * *

**A/N: And…scene! I know this chapter wasn't too long, but I promise once we actually get into the story they will be. This is just a little introduction/prologue thing so I'm hoping this is the start of something amazing~.**

**Also, I would love any suggestions, critic, etc. from you guys. Or, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. It's hard to totally proof-read my writing so if you spot anything please let meh know. **

**I find the characters of Kuroko no Basuke are very fun to write, but since they're all so great, I'm a little intimidated by the challenge of capturing their personalities. So if you read this and think, "Hey, Ahomine is a little too 'this,'" or "Kise-kun is a bit too 'that,'" lemme know, I'd appreciate it.**

**And lastly, since I want to make the chapters as long and as wonderful as I can get them for you guys, I'm estimating my updates will be at MOST a week. I got this one out in 2 days so unless something comes up, I'll do my best.**

**Horses in this chapter: **

Kuroko's Black American Quarter Horse – Obviously black for Kuro. The American Quarter-Horse is- okay no I don't have a totally specific reason for picking this breed for our Tetsu. None of the types of horses I looked at screamed 'THIS ONE IS KUROKO'S,' which I'm glad they didn't because that'd be weird if that happened. But, this is a very common type of horse and perfect for our main character number 2 yes ok.

Kagami's Light Bay American Saddlebred – If you don't know what I mean when I say Light Bay colored then go look it the fuck up like I had to – or just go here im sorry- aghr com /images/ color jpg - if you're too lazy to do that though it's like I said, the brown coat looks sorta reddish and its mane is black. As for the breed, the Saddlebred "has a willing and 'can do' temperament and genuinely like to be around people. Appearing fiery to the casual observer, they are the ultimate riding horse and can excel in any discipline." Plus its "well-proportioned and presents a spectacular picture." If that's not Kagami's horse, well then, it's not Kagami's horse. And it's American. Check and mate.

**Thanks for reading. AoKuro fo lyfe. Reviewers rock muh world.**


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